Cult Film Club Episode 19: The Specials

After enjoying the heck out of James Gunn’s recently blockbuster hit Guardians of the Galaxy, the CFC thought it was a great opportunity to take a look at one of Gunn’s first forays into the cinematic super hero genre. Sure, he also wrote and directed Super, but a decade before that he wrote and starred in a little indie flick called The Specials (2000, directed by Craig Mazin). Starring Rob Lowe, Thomas Haden Church, Padget Brewster, Jordan Ladd and Jamie Kennedy, the movie follows a super hero team over the course of one long day right as they are about to be honored with their own line of action figures. But can the team get over the egos and personal problems to enjoy their time in the spotlight? Can they?

We talk about the actors, Gunn and his roots in Troma through to his new hit Marvel movie, the soundtrack, and why this film is more relevant today than it’s ever been.